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Prof Ian Gilmore, the chairman of the college's alcohol committee, said evidence from other countries showed extending opening hours would cause an increase in violence and the number of alcohol-related illnesses.

"We are facing an epidemic of alcohol-related harm in this country," he said.

"And to extend the licensing hours flies in the face of common sense as well as the evidence we have got."

Prof Gilmore said plans to stagger the times people left pubs were an attempt to manage drunkenness rather than prevent it.

He added that the key to tackling the problem was reducing the availability of alcohol and increasing the price.

"I think it is fanciful to think we can turn ourselves into a French-style wine-tippling culture merely by licensing regulations," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The college's warnings come after one of Britain's top policemen said the move to allow pubs to stay open 24 hours a day needed to be "slowed down" and "given more consideration".

Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said if forces had to "man up" the streets when people left pubs in the early hours, it would take officers away from other duties.

But Richard Caborn, the culture minister, said the plans were part of a flexible approach to drinking that reflected changes in society and would be brought in alongside moves to reduce alcohol consumption.

"It is about dealing with the cause and not just the symptoms," he said.